Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage
Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage
Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage highlights the principal role that music and dance played in Chagall’s artistic practice. The performing arts were a significant source of inspiration for Chagall throughout his long career: he depicted musicians in many of his paintings, collaborated on set designs for the Ballet Russes in 1911, created murals and theatrical productions for the Moscow State Jewish Theater in the 1920s, and designed costumes and monumental sets for ballet and opera in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.
The exhibition concentrates on Chagall’s four productions for the stage—the ballets Aleko, set to music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1942), The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky (1945), Daphnis and Chloé by Maurice Ravel (1958), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute (1967). The exhibition features the artist’s vibrant costumes and set designs—some of which have never been exhibited since they appeared on stage—and also presents a selection of iconic paintings depicting musicians and lyrical scenes, numerous works on paper, and documentary footage of original performances. In bringing these pieces together, Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage communicates the moving and celebratory power of music and art, and spotlights this important aspect of the artist’s career.
Organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Initiated by the Cité de la musique - Philharmonie de Paris, and La Piscine - Musée d'art et d'industrie André Diligent, Roubaix, with the support of the Chagall estate.
This exhibition is supported by The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, Terry and Lionel Bell, The Jacqueline and Hoyt B. Leisure Costume and Textiles Fund, and the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles.
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Kitzia and Richard Goodman, with generous annual funding from Lauren Beck and Kimberly Steward, the Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Jenna and Jason Grosfeld, The Jerry and Kathleen Grundhofer Foundation, David Schwartz Foundation, Inc., Taslimi Foundation, and Lenore and Richard Wayne.
Image: Marc Chagall, backdrop design for Aleko: “A Wheatfield on a Summer’s Afternoon” (Scene III), 1942, Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, 1945, © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris. Image © The Museum of Modern Art/licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, NY
- Jul 31, 2017–Jan 7, 2018
- Resnick Pavilion
Organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Initiated by the Cité de la musique - Philharmonie de Paris, and La Piscine - Musée d'art et d'industrie André Diligent, Roubaix, with the support of the Chagall estate.
This exhibition is supported by The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, Terry and Lionel Bell, The Jacqueline and Hoyt B. Leisure Costume and Textiles Fund, and the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles.
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Kitzia and Richard Goodman, with generous annual funding from Lauren Beck and Kimberly Steward, the Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Jenna and Jason Grosfeld, The Jerry and Kathleen Grundhofer Foundation, David Schwartz Foundation, Inc., Taslimi Foundation, and Lenore and Richard Wayne.
Image: Marc Chagall, backdrop design for Aleko: “A Wheatfield on a Summer’s Afternoon” (Scene III), 1942, Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, 1945, © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris. Image © The Museum of Modern Art/licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, NY
Media
Hear professionals in the worlds of art, music, and costume design reflect on Chagall's designs for the ballet and opera. Featuring costume designer Albert Wolsky, costume historian Bobi Garland, visual artist Frances Stark, opera director and Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage exhibition designer Yuval Sharon, LACMA installation specialist Melinda Kerstein, and LACMA curators of Costume & Textiles Clarissa Esguerra and Kaye Spilker.